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$7,500 to support the “Own a Business, Own Your Future: So You Want to be an Entrepreneur” program which exposes 200 high school students ages 16-18 to entrepreneurship through field trips and workshops designed to provide tools to write and present a business plan for competition. A subsequent award celebration for participants and those who launch businesses will follow.

The Department of K-12
Initiatives has announced the Own a Business, Own Your Future Youth Business Plan Competition will take place on Tuesday, May 11th, from 4:30 to 6:30 on the downtown campus of Lansing Community College.

High school seniors who
are currently operating a business or plan to have started one by the end of
the 2010 school year will pitch for $1000 cash awards to support their
endeavor.

Young entrepreneurs interested in pitching will submit an application and a copy of their business plans by the end of April. A panel of judges made up of local entrepreneurs ad LCC business faculty will review the plans prior to the event. On the 11th, the judges will provide feedback immediately following each student's pitch. The judges will confer, and winners of the $1000 cash awards will be announced.

The February edition of Future CEO Stars has an article about our January 2010 Pitches and Panel Day. See pages 26 ad 27 at this url: http://www.fcsmag.com/node/37

On a brisk winter day in February, 2009 high school students from a three county area gathered at Lansing Community College West Campus in Lansing, Michigan for Own a Business, Own Your Future: So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur, a special initiative funded by the federal Department of Labor through the Workforce Innovation and Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Grant and supported by the Mid Michigan Innovation Team (MMIT).

Student teams had worked on a business plan and pitch for a theoretical or actual business for weeks. On February 25th they came for advice and feedback. They reviewed their plans and practiced their pitches with local business owners and LCC faculty acting as coaches who discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the plans and pitches.

Teams made a 5-minute business pitch and shared their improved business plans with local entrepreneurs acting as judges.

The judges conferred and provided the teams with immediate feedback on their pitches. To provide more in depth feedback, the judges studied the business plans after the event and provided more detailed written feedback to students within a week.

Before the work of the day began, the students heard from Ryan Carter, a local entrepreneur who has met with success in more than one enterprise.

Organizers built on the strength of successful local entrepreneurs, the Small Business and Technology Development Center, LCC business faculty, Student Leadership Academy students, and members of the LCC chapter of the American Marketing Association to staff the event.

Plans for the 2010 competition are underway, and we are excited: due to the Coleman Grant, we will be able to give away cash awards. Stay tuned!